Slender: The Pages
by AvenyCity
Summary: Her name is Aveny. Has a bit of an obsession with being scared. She wanders into the forest looking for sanctuary and finds herself playing a game against Slenderman. Find the eight pages and walk out of the forest alive. How far can she go before the fear and secrets become the end of her?
1. The First Page

**Hey, guys! This is my first Slender FanFiction. I got very inspired by the games, which are absolutely amazing to play. I hope you like it, leave feedback if you like! ^^**

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**The First Page: Let the Games Begin**

"And I believe this ends our final session. It's been nice seeing you," said Dr. Hesling.

Aveny gaped at him with no effort to hide her surprise and disappointment. This was the moment she despised for so long, despite knowing that it would come sooner or later.

"But, Dr. Hesling… I –"she began.

She had no words. Was she really this upset? Shouldn't she be happy to finally be free from her therapist? He tore her sanity apart and glued the pieces back together to his liking. Everything she used to believe that was right was disapproved by this man. She had to admit, however, that he took care of her when her father failed to do so. Dr. Hesling was her friend. Now they had no further business together. He cured her of her compulsive need to be in fear. Or at least, she thought he did.

"Aveny, don't be afraid anymore. You've grown plenty since the first time you walked into my office. There is an entire world outside the doors. You can run and succeed as far as you like. You're no longer a danger to yourself," he assured in a monotone, yet comforting, voice.

With that he stood up from his dark red seat, the chair that Aveny had never seen him leave for all the years she's known him, and offered her his hand. She took it almost reluctantly, not wanting it to be real. He helped her on to her feet and began leading her out of the building.

"It's been a pleasure, Aveny. Do come visit as often as you like," he ended with a smile. It was sad, but genuine. Aveny felt a tinge of pain through her chest as she started down the sidewalk. Before proceeding to turn the corner, however, she looked back at the office.

_Doctor T. Hesling: Mental Therapy_, it read in red, wooden letters.

Her only friend and sanctuary were closed off from her now. How far could she go without them?

Reaching her home, now covered in crumbling paint and oak climbing up its walls, she walked in. She uttered neither words nor greeting as she rushed up the stairs and into her room. What was the point? She'd be talking in a house that was empty of any members beside her. Regardless, she sometimes had conversations with herself without knowing it. She didn't like it, for the constant sound of her voice would annoy her from time to time, but it would have to do considering the lack of company.

She dropped her backpack roughly on her bed and entered the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror, Aveny eventually gave in to her thoughts. She was full of discomfort, constantly irritated every time she entered this house. This house was wrong. It was so small, yet so big. It's an empty shell. What was it even doing here, secluded between the small town she lived in and the woods? You could cut this house and everything in it out of the world, and it would make absolutely no difference. It was here for no reason.

_Like me_, she thought.

Aveny stared into her reflection in the glass. She stood at five feet and five inches tall, her crisp black hair smoothly waving down to below her chest. Her hand rose to lift her bangs up from her forehead, revealing the original red roots before she dyed her hair black. She was incredibly pale. It wasn't that she never went out, but more like she had scared the color out of her constantly until it decided to leave her body for good. Aveny always had a fixation on being frightened. It was her obsession. She loved horror stories, movies, and the such. It gave her a happy feeling. Almost pumped. She wasn't depressed or anything like that, no, she was just excited by the adrenaline. She would go beyond normal lengths just to put herself in danger. The rush of being in fear, oh, it felt marvelous to her.

"It's something like a drug," she once referred it to as during one of her sessions.

And like a drug, it had just gotten worse and worse. She had never intended to hurt herself, but accidents happen. It got to the point where they never stopped happening.

She looked straight at her face in the mirror. She had such thin lips and tired eyes. Her irises were often mistaken for being the color of blood, though they were just bloodshot all the time from lack of sleep. They were actually cardinal, but it didn't particularly matter unless she mentioned it. They did look a bit eerie though, on account of her eyes being so red in comparison to her ghostly, pale skin. She completed her supernatural-looking appearance with a gray tank top covered by a large, black hoodie and dark red shorts. Of course, she never really meant to look creepy either. It just felt natural.

She turned the faucet and cold water began spilling into the sink. Dipping her hands in, the water did little to calm her. Instead, she felt a horrible emptiness in her gut. The disgusting, ghostly feeling you get when something bad has happened but you don't know what.

Unfortunately, she was about to discover the _what_ of her fears.

A soft, frantic knock came from down the stairs. The sudden noise made Aveny jump from her spot, sending small splashes of water to the tile floor. She immediately regained enough composure to switch the faucet off, listening intently for more sound. Footsteps strode down her wooden, rickety porch and the noise faded as quickly as it came.

Eight, Aveny heard. Large, forceful steps. The porch is wide and the stairs leading down it are rather steep for just eight steps; perhaps a man's? Whoever knocked on her front door was long gone by now, she assumed while cleaning up the spilled water. She didn't expect it to be much. Probably kids pulling a prank, she thought at first. Children seemed to like coming up to this old house, assuming that it was abandoned or haunted on account of its aged appearance and its vicinity from the woods. Aveny's home was literally right next to the forest. She felt it was useless trying to scare the kids off, in case they would try to run off and get lost in the blanket of trees. Coming to think of it, there had been reports of missing children every now and then. Heaven forbid she be involved in any of that nonsense.

As soon as she convinced herself it was a practical joke, she left the bathroom and peeked through the curtains in her room.

"Nothing." She relaxed.

Aveny decided to pull the curtains apart, revealing the last bit of sun before it disappeared behind the trees. She stared out into the tiny clearing in front of her house, now able to see the full view. For a faint moment, her head felt clouded. A curious buzzing flowed through her ears as she looked for the source. There was nothing in her yard. So why was the sound getting louder? The hairs on the back of her neck stiffened. For the longest time, she stared forward, knowing perfectly well where the sound might have been emitting. She just didn't want to look. To turn her head and see the creature that had been watching her from the corner of her eye. The buzzing began to grow and mutate into some kind of irritating static.

The anticipation was eating at her. The fear beginning to burn through the crevices of her brain. She was terrified, and she loved it. Turning her head to meet faces with the stranger the static dissipated. The figure was gone like thin air. Aveny stood looking at the vacant space for a second. Was she imagining it? She thought she saw a tall man in a black dress suit. And with no face?

"You're losing it, Aveny," she muttered to herself.

She made her way downstairs and out the door, to be sure that it was just her head lying to her. She wished that what she saw was just a fluke, but then again, she didn't. After all, that would've been quite the disappointment, wouldn't it? She stepped onto the damp grass that she called her yard, taking a full look around in search for her faceless stalker. Nobody was here. It was as still and as quiet as a library. An desolate library, if such silence were allowed. Disappointed at her results, she turned to head back inside. Upon looking at her front door, she froze in confusion. Something was carved into her front door. Scratchy-looking words that she had missed while running outside. The tiny act of vandalism on her door looked as if it done in a hurry as it was barely readable.

_DON'T PLAY HIS GAME_, the words read within the scratched wood.

"What a shame. I love games," Aveny sighed sarcastically.

In all honesty, she couldn't care less about her door nor the message. It did present a bit of chills, but she was far more interested in the mysterious white figure that was standing beside the trees a few minutes ago. What was it? Why was it out here? Was it even real?

She looked back at her door, now sure that perhaps those children were right to stray from this area. Was it just her or were the words harder to see? No, wait. She looked up towards the pink, orange sky. It was getting darker. She finally forced herself off her spot and walked back up onto her porch. She looked at the words again, wondering who could've carved them. Letters don't appear in thin air, let alone her front door.

The noise was back... but something was different. It sounded so familiar. What in the hell was it?

It was hollow and empty. If despair and despondent made a noise, this would definitely be it without a doubt. So why did the name of it keep escaping her mind?

Absent-minded, she found her hand making its way to the external of her front door. The sound began to augment itself. It intensified in her head until it was all she could hear. She allowed her fingers to brush themselves against the uneven surfaces of the door, tracing around the letters with the tips of her fingernails as if she were writing the words herself. Before she could finish the last E, her eyes began to widen and she took a step back. She wore a look of horror at what she was doing. Maybe she really was alone. Her doctor never stopped telling her about how far she could go in life, but she always felt she was falling farther than she was rising. What did she become? She was so full of doubt, that the answer seemed nonexistent. There was one thing she knew for sure, however. The sound that she had been longing to know the name of. It came from her.

"Don't play his game," she whispered to herself.

Aveny quickly took her hands and covered her mouth to stop the words from escaping. They sounded like static on her lips. Before she knew it, she was running inside, slamming the door closed on her way in.

She immediately regretted her decision. Her walls were ravaged with drawings and words. Pictures of trees and distorted figures obscured the surfaces of her home. Black ink was splattered all over her staircase. Furniture was turned over, either torn or destroyed. Pieces of glass and broken vases were scattered everywhere. "Well that's unfortunate," she grumbled. Nevertheless, she was quite amused. It's not everyday your world comes crashing down. The blood was rushing to her head, the adrenaline pumping in her veins instead. She was absolutely thrilled. Her house was no longer safe. She'd have to get out of here; fast. She couldn't go back into town. The only safe place there would be Dr. Hesling's office and that was off limits as of now. She took one quick look out the door again and back at her devastated living room. The woods would have to do. It's the last place she could think of, as sad as it is.

Aveny took an unconscious step forward, already cutting her feet on the shards of glass. Streams of blood began pouring through her feet, staining her black Converses as she ran towards the stairs and up to the room. She grabbed her black backpack and almost ran back in the hallway, stopping herself before she got through her doorway.

_Probably not a good idea_, she thought as she glanced as her bloodstained ankles. She wasn't stupid, she could feel the pain. Well actually, scratch that. Aveny could be pretty stupid when she wanted to. This would be one of those times.

She turned and ran towards the window she had been looking out of earlier. Yanking the curtains right off the rack, she took hold of the frame and tightened her grip. Oh, she wished she had bigger hands for this. Preferably stronger too. Forcing the window out of its pane in one piece, she leaned the glass against the wall and began climbing out of her bedroom window.

The night was upon her. Time was running out fast. She needed to get somewhere safe before she'd end up lost in the blackness. She took one last look in her room and began descending the walls of her house. It had gotten extremely colder since this afternoon. Her exposed skin was already beginning to feel numb under the wind. She gripped tightly onto the oak vines as she made her way down, not wanting to accidentally let go. Once her feet touched the floor, they didn't hesitate to start moving. She made a break for the trees, not even bothering to look back at her home, which was now in a state of ruins. All she could think was to run as fast as possible, because she knew she wouldn't feel safe until she was away from the building. It must have been a good eight minutes of sprinting. She felt her feet slow, her body beginning to weigh her down. She didn't want to stop yet though. She picked up her feet, trying to cover a little more distance before collapsing in exhaustion.

By the time something got her to stop, she was struggling to breathe. Panting, she thought about what restrained her from going even more. Suddenly, she knew. Aveny knew what Dr. Hesling meant by what he said so many times before.

_"You can run and succeed as far as you like."_

But how far could she run?

How far could her fear take her before she reached a dead end?

She stood still, her very being hidden and shrouded by the trees and fog in this endless forest. A spot of white caught her attention. She turned her head slowly, trying to decipher whether it was reality of imagination. It was a sheet of paper posted on the trunk of a tree.

"What in the..." Aveny moved closer, unable to complete her thoughts.

The static was back, but she didn't care. The closer she advanced towards the tree, the greater the static and her stimulation grew. Maybe she was alone _and_ crazy. She didn't care. If she scared herself hard enough to the point where her heart stopped beating, she wouldn't mind at the slightest. Her arm began rising again. She touched the paper, running her cold touch along it's smooth surface. All she wanted was answers. Perhaps she could find them here.

Aveny instinctively removed the sheet from its place on the wood. The static stopped once again, leaving her in a frightening silence. There wasn't a single sound as her hands automatically began to turn the page over. Something struck in her head as she found the words, like the striking of a clock as the hands hit twelve.

_Let the games begin._

**End Chapter 1 |  
****1/8 Pages Collected.****  
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**Sorry if it's a bit slow. Since it's the beginning, it's a bunch of background and stuff. ^^"  
The story will definitely progress more as it goes along. ****Thanks for reading!**

_******-AvenyCity**_


	2. The Second Page

**Here's the second chapter! Enjoy. ^^**

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**The Second Page: Strangers Among Us**

_Let the games begin._

The words were entangled on her lips.

"Shouldn't have done that," a husk voice called out.

Aveny swung around to meet faces with a boy about a year older than she. He sat down nonchalantly against the tree opposite of her with a tiny, mangy cat curled up on his lap. Raising her eyebrows, she stepped towards him and replied, "I don't suppose I came into the forest to be told what I can and can't do by a stranger and his... cat."

Upon recognition, the black animal raised its head sleepily from its spot and stared at her with drowsy eyes. It didn't take long for it to resume sleeping, its head falling back down onto the boy's legs. He continued to pet the animal and never bothered to look up.

"Well a bit of direction wouldn't hurt, now would it? Unless you like walking into death traps," he retorted.

"Death traps? Last I recall, this forest is as dead as a cemetery. The biggest threat would be tripping over a rock."

"Oh, you never know. Rocks are murderous, little things."

Aveny smiled in response. Humor was one of the things that she came across rarely. He seemed nice enough. She enjoyed company though it was scarcely found. Come to think of it, what was he doing in the middle of the woods? And in this exact spot?

"What are you doing here?" She asked bluntly.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He stopped to look at his discourser, "I don't know about you, but I've been sitting here enjoying the scenery."

Aveny took her eyes off him to look around. It was the dead of night. And it was nothing but trees and fog for miles around. It was difficult to see twelve feet in front of you unless it was day. There was absolutely nothing here to look at.

"What sce-" she stopped herself. It had just occurred to her what he meant and her eyes widened. Cheeks reddening, she looked away from him in embarrassment.

He noticed her discomfort and laughed, startling the cat out of its slumber. She looked at the feline, who seemed as irritated as her.

"Think you're clever, don't you? It's not very polite to start flirting with a girl without giving her a name," she answered, her self-esteem now back to where it should've been. She stood over him, looking down to meet his hazel eyes. She felt it was necessary to make eye contact with the person she was talking to out of courtesy, no matter how boring the conversation was. She didn't particularly mind looking into this pair though. They reminded her of honey. Not just the color, but the sweetness. They were soft and kind, like that of an old man's. His gaze was intent and gentle on the cat, which was now making its way of his lap. They seemed so out of place compared to his cold-looking attire. He wore a stone gray muffler jacket and black skinny jeans. A dark olive green scarf was draped loosely around his neck and finger-less black gloves covered his hands. She noticed how large and bruised they were as he extend his hand to her.

"Toby. Pleasure to meet you," he introduced, giving her a charming smile.

"Aveny." She hesitantly shook his hand, noting how rough the contact was between their callous hands. Afterwards, she helped him onto his feet. She felt a little more intimidated by him, now realizing how much taller he was in comparison to her. The top of her head was at about the same height as his nose. She now had to look up at him to catch eyes.

"Well, Aveny," he stressed her name as if tasting it for the first time, "Now that we're acquainted, I should tell you that you were wrong."

She raised her eyebrow again, "Wrong about what exactly?"

"We aren't alone in these woods, as much as I'd love for that to be."

She rolled her eyes and he let out another chuckle. She crossed her arms in an annoyed way. Why was she still having a chat with this guy? Suddenly, she was feeling very anxious. He stepped forward, leaning his head closer to her face. He never even bothered to slow down as his skin brushed across hers. It felt warm. She could feel him grin as her muscles began to tense. His lips stopped at her ear. Aveny's breaths became dangerously shallow as she felt his on her ear and down her neck.

"Ever heard of _Slenderman_?"

She gave Toby a look of disbelief and stepped back. Did he just make a joke?

"You mean that one children's story? The one used to scare kids into not wandering off from their homes? That's absolute bullshit, if you'll pardon my language." she scoffed.

"No worries. I know what I'm saying isn't very credible, but people tell stories for a reason."

"And you're trying to convince me that a dark, mythical creature is in this forest?"

"I don't think I'll need to convince you. He'll already be coming for you," his tone became more serious. She gave him a blank look. He took her other hand and held it up to her face.

_The page. I took it. Ugh, how could I be so stupid? _Aveny thought. She could've slapped herself right then if she wasn't so unsure.

"This has to be a joke or something. He isn't real," she protested, more for herself than the actual argument.

"Legends and stories are as real as we like them to be, some more than others."

Her head fell in defeat. He looked at her with sympathy. What a wonderful feeling it was, to meet a new person and know that they were going to die such a horrible death. Aveny didn't like feeling pitied, and she didn't like to see her new friend upset for whatever reason. Usually, she wouldn't have cared, but there was something unusual about the way she acted while she was around him. It made her heart sink. Was she really this desperate for a companion? She couldn't bare it anymore.

"I suppose that moping won't do any good will it?" she looked at him and smiled gently. He looked straight into her eyes, first out of curiosity and then relief.

"No, I suppose not," he returned her smile.

"What should I do then?" she inquired. What was she to do in this situation? Hide? Run? She knew from all the stories when she was younger. A tall man in a black suit with no face who followed the children who strayed from their families and entered the woods alone. He would whisper in your ears, fill you with doubt and fear, and finally devour you alive with your sanity torn in shreds. He has no mouth, but his voice is as static as a broken television or a busted video camera. It amplifies in your ears until you gradually turn insane from the suffocation of sound. He has no eyes, but he watches you like prey and stalks your frightened being for days on end. To always have that feeling of someone watching your back, drives the paranoia through your skull until you can't tell what's real anymore. It's painful. Now she would become a victim, unless she could help herself.

"I think it's pretty obvious, don't you?" Toby smiled.

"Yeah," Aveny began, "I'll just have to collect the rest of these pages."

"Think you'll survive that on your own? You aren't the first to come across here."

"It wouldn't be a game if I didn't have a chance at winning," she smiled determinedly.

"Well then I suppose you'd like to do a bit of co-op, right?" He smirked.

She laughed. And quite a lot for the first time in a long while. She was starting to get stoked when a realization hit her. Her smile fell back into a frown.

"I don't want to see you get hurt. I just met you, but it'd really suck if you died out here helping me," she confessed and looked down at her feet. He took her chin in his hand and lifted it so that they were eye-to-eye. There were those soft eyes again, except they were directed to her. Her legs felt weak under his stare. She couldn't tell if she was intimidated or something else.

"That won't be happening. Trust me," he smirked.

"Trust you? I didn't know you existed until about eight minutes ago," she retorted.

"Let's put it this way: You're still alive," he started to grin, "So how about it, doll?"

He extended his arm out to her and bowed slightly. She rolled her eyes at the gesture. He's so old-fashioned. Cocky, but gentlemanly. It certainly wasn't the right answer, but it would have to do. She sighed in defeat and took his hand. Toby's smile widened and he began leading her out of the clearing, the cat following lazily behind them.

They walked among the trees silently. She was thankful that he was comfortable like this, not feeling to need to fill every minute with conversation. She wasn't the best talker, and the quiet did well to calm her. Letting her head wander, her thoughts slowly centered around the boy she was traveling with. Why did she have the urge to put her faith in this stranger? Was it because she was so scared of Slenderman? No, it was something else, but she couldn't land her finger on it. What was it about this guy that had her emotions in a twist? He made her believe in him. It was unnatural. It was like everything he said and did just engraved itself in her head. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ she thought.

Then again, if he was some kind of a murderer, he would've killed her already, right? Unless there was something...

She stopped in her tracks, letting go of the boy's hand. He looked back at her in question.

"I might know where one of the pages may be," Aveny smiled. She took his hand again and began running towards the way they came.

They were out of the trees. Back where it started. The house was still destroyed. He looked at the ruins in dismay and asked, "You think there's a page here?"

"I don't see why there wouldn't be. If Slenderman wanted me dead, he would've killed me here, right? And I don't think he'd just walk out of the woods unless there was something back inside that house," she smiled and began walking towards the front door.

"Aveny, Slenderman doesn't just let you out of the forest; it's a fact in his biology. This is a trap." He tried to stop her.

She ceased her walking and held her hand out to him, palm facing upwards. He looked at her blankly.

She sighed, "I'm not going to walk in there empty-handed. Give me your knife."

"Knife? What are you talking about?" he asked bluntly.

"The one you used to carve those words in my door. I'm not an idiot, I can piece things together."

Toby looked at her for a moment, first at her hand and then back at her eyes. He found the color rather enthralling and dangerous. He found her apathetic, determined expression incredibly alluring. She was feisty, wasn't she?

"So much for a subtle warning," he said as he began reaching for a compartment on his belt. Pulling out a small cutting edge, he handed it to her.

"Thank you, kind sir." She curtsied at him jokingly. "You also might want to work on your handwriting a bit."

He smirked and let her move on to the oak walls. Climbing in her room, she noticed a tiny tearing sound from below. She looked back down at the vines. They wouldn't hold much longer. She might have to find another way down. Returning her attention to her room, she suddenly felt hollow. Where to start looking? She inspected the area cautiously. No page. But there was a good length of rope she found underneath her bed. She might take that along with her later into the woods. Turning her head towards the bathroom door, a chill went down her spine. It was open, but didn't she close it before she left the house? She took a step towards it. Might as well look, she thought. She walked inside hesitantly. Her fear was already beginning to build. She made no effort to calm down; the feeling was somewhat comforting to her.

And there it was, visible in the dim moonlight coming from outside the door. The second page. It was hung on the mirror, which now contained a massive crack running through the center. She stood in front of it warily, clutching her knife in her fist. Words were scribbled on it along with an Operator symbol. She reached for it with her free hand to take a better look.

"2 vs. 1," she read aloud. The static returned for her. As she ripped the paper from its spot, the bathroom door slammed shut. It was total darkness. The eerie buzzing danced in her head as she desperately felt the wall for a light switch. He was definitely here. Her fright was boiling. What did her therapist used to tell her in the stories? He can taste the fear, can't he?

Suddenly, she felt something smooth along her fingertips. It felt long and slithery. The second it twitched, she gasped and jerked her hand back. The noise in her ears was incredibly loud now.

Aveny frantically reached for the wall again. She was running out of time, if she even had any. Her fingers found the switch and quickly flipped it on in relief. Under her hand was the snake-like thing she had touched earlier. It creeped around the wall slowly. It looked like some sort of black... tendril.

She slowly turned her head towards the mirror, half-expecting what was coming next. From there she saw the Slenderman standing behind her body, staring back at her through the broken reflection. Maybe it was just her mind playing with her. The broken glass reflected multiple images of him at her. Just staring. It was driving her crazy, but she couldn't look away. Even though he had no eyes, there was an illness in that gaze. He was implanting his mental disease in her body. She could do nothing but lean on her sink for support. Actually, perhaps she could do more. She had to try.

"Hello there, stranger," she smirked at his image through the mirror. Her voice was weak. She hoped that he wouldn't notice and stared straight at his reflections.

Slenderman did nothing but stand. It didn't seem like he moved an inch farther nor closer to her since she turned on the lights. They stood in silence for a minute before Aveny found her voice again.

"So what are you waiting for, dear beast? Kill me," she dared.

He continued to look at her. Almost examining. The next part wasn't something she expected.

"Not. Ready." His voice was pure static.

He could speak. She found it kind of fascinating for a second before she processed his words. Not ready?

She couldn't tell what it meant. But it certainly meant that she wasn't getting killed tonight. She stuffed the second page in her backpack and was bursting out the door. She looked back at the rope and made a run for it. Something caught her leg. She gasped and fell to the ground. Looking back she noticed the tendrils wrapping around her legs. Maybe she had gotten ahead of herself. She made a swipe for one of the tendrils on her ankle using the knife. Cutting it open, it released its hold and dropped to the floor lifelessly. The rest retreated but only for a moment. There were more coming from the bathroom door. Aveny stood up and made another attempt for the rope on her nightstand. She tied one end to her bedpost and threw the rest out of the window. Looking below, she became doubtful. She needed that rope for later on. Despite the second thoughts, she placed the cutter horizontally in her mouth and gripped the rope with both her hands. After her whole body was dangling outside her room, she hastily took the knife from her mouth. She could still take the rope, at least the majority of it. Looking below, she found the boy that she needed glancing back up at her. His expression questioned her actions, but she had no time to explain. Slenderman was coming after her. She held the knife against the rope and took a deep breath.

"Two versus one," she whispered to herself as she cut the rope and began to fall.

**End Chapter 2 |**

**2/8 Pages Collected.**

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**Hah, I suck at cliffhangers. ;u;**

**Well I hope you liked this chapter! Please leave feedback on how I can improve the story. Thanks for reading!**

_**-AvenyCity**_


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